Global powertrain components and vehicle safety products manufacturer and supplier Federal-Mogul’s Champion brand this year launched new wiper blades that are specific to vehicle applications.

“The rubber used for the wiper blades and the manufacturing of the wiper blades itself is what makes the product unique,” says Federal-Mogul technical adviser Bertie Steyn, who tells Engineering News that the company has been persistent in developing this product and hopes to be the first company to market wiper blades with this new technology.

Research and development (R&D) for the wiper blades took place at Federal-Mogul’s European plant and R&D centre. Steyn says Federal-Mogul hopes to further develop the wiper blades to achieve ultimate wipe quality with a longer life span.

The company has, over the past four years, developed and launched its range of Champion aftermarket products to the South African market.

The Champion range of products includes the newly launched wiper blades, as well as filters and spark plugs, which are compatible with 93% of vehicles currently on the road in South Africa.

Also among this year’s newly launched products is Champion’s new filter media, designed especially for new-generation vehicle application. The new filter media is a new technology that will improve the Champion range of filters. Steyn also notes that the diesel filtration market will need to evolve to support new-generation diesel systems that require filtration down to 2µ.

“In the next five to ten years we will definitely convert fully to the new filter technology currently being developed,” he states.

The new filter media will not only be supplied in specific vehicle filters but also in fuel filters for diesel applications. This is because the filter technology is critical for specified operation conditions for diesel applications, which will allow for Champion to provide a full range of efficient filters for the market, explains Steyn.

He adds that the filter media and specification have been developed for the South African market and conditions. Therefore, Federal-Mogul is focusing on constant R&D in South Africa and Europe.

Further, the company’s European R&D centres have sourced parts specifications from the South African filter team to understand its varying climate. This allows for the filters to be tested in dusty, cold and rainy conditions, says Steyn, adding that local development ensures a better quality product for the local market.

He notes that the sales on the filters and wiper blades are growing monthly and that Federal-Mogul now has close to 22% of the market share, despite an initial goal of wanting 10% of South Africa’s filter market.

Steyn emphasises the importance of good vehicle maintenance to increase the life span of a vehicle, further noting that Champion provides a comprehensive service line of products to assist in correct vehicle maintenance.

Champion’s after-sales support provides a physical inspection of the vehicle and components to find the root cause of a complaint and resolves the issue by providing the end-user with the full support of a dedicated and competent technical team, says Steyn, adding that all components and products are fully backed by the Federal-Mogul warranty policy.